Millet bran: The underrated ingredient with a potential to transform human nutrition

Millets are consumed by people across the globe. Millet bran (MB), a byproduct of preliminary processes like dehulling, debranning, and milling, is often discarded or utilized as animal feed. Foxtail millet bran(FMB) consists of 9.39% crude oil, 12.48% crude protein, 51.69% crude fiber, 7.50% ash, and 8.29% moisture. Kodo millet bran(KMB) has a nutrient profile of 4.92% protein, 79.84% carbohydrates, 2.83% fat, 48.42% overall dietary fiber, 5.33% ash, and 7.07% moisture. Little millet bran has a phenolic concentration of 465.67 µg, whole grain contains 148.53 µg, and pearled grain has 78.63 µg. Proso millet bran is composed of 9% fat, 26% carbohydrates, 36% dietary fiber, and 14% protein, along with 3 mg gallic acid equivalent/g of phenolics. Bran is a promising ingredient for creating innovative functional and therapeutic foods since it contains good nutrients like protein, fat, dietary fiber, phenols, phytonutrients, flavonoids, and antioxidants. Hydrolytic rancidity is the primary challenge in using bran as food, and the only way to prevent it is through a process called stabilization, which inactivates the enzymes responsible for this issue. Stabilization of bran is crucial to preventing the formation of free fatty acids(FFA) due to the action of lipase. This review addresses stabilization techniques, health and therapeutic benefits, and industrial applications for developing MB-based food products like bakery products, beverages, and bran oil.